Why did he lied?

[Morgana LeFay]

Oh, thanks, I hope so too : )

And....there's another "Morgana LeFay" out there? hehehe. My usual nick is Irene Adler.

hey, I've just downloaded the Rippercast and will give the Hutchinson chapter a heard...

[Monty]

You don't want to listen to that episode Irene,

Try episode 13, that's the best one.

Monty

[Lechmere]

Morgana - Hutchinson can't have read about Lewis's testimony before going in to make his statemnet - the timings don't allow it. No one at the time made any connection between Hutchinson and Lewis's wide-awake hat man - which tells me there was no connection to be made.

[Morgana LeFay]

Oh. Then it's even weirder. Why did he go to the police 3 days after the killing? Did other witnesses do the same?

[Lechmere]

It's very common for witnesses to appear late - and in those days the inquest was held very quickly - in this case on Monday when the murder was on Friday.

[Steven Russell]

Neil and Lynn,

What a relief. Thanks for your comments - I thought I was going nuts or something.

Best wishes,
Steve.

[lynn cates]

nuts

Hello Steven. You are entirely welcome.

"I thought I was going nuts or something."

Well, nothing that I have said necessarily precludes that. (heh-heh)

Cheers.
LC

[Wickerman]

Morgana - Hutchinson can't have read about Lewis's testimony before going in to make his statemnet - the timings don't allow it. No one at the time made any connection between Hutchinson and Lewis's wide-awake hat man - which tells me there was no connection to be made.

Morgana.

And just to add a footnote, some have suggested Hutchinson was at the Inquest to hear the testimony of Sarah Lewis. After which he took fright because, they say, "he thought he was seen" (as Widewake-man).

The trouble is, Broadshoulders was seen in Berner St., Redneck-man was also seen in Duke St. and neither of them thought to dash to the police with some kind of alibi, so why should we believe Hutchinson should?

Also, Hutchinson sat with Abberline after he gave his story, and Abberline was at the Inquest. So how could Hutchinson offer some excuse for not showing up at the Inquest if he was right there among the public in full view of all the police officials.
The Inquest was held at the Shoreditch Town Hall which was a very small room.

Alternately, once the Inquest was adjurned (4 o'clock, 5 o'clock?) the story Sarah Lewis told is 'supposed' to have spread among the public, after which Hutchinson suddenly walked into Commercial St. police station and gave his 'alibi' by 6 o'clock.

If the word 'strained' comes to mind don't be surprised, you're not alone.

Regards, Jon S.

[Tom_Wescott]

Lechmere,

I'd like to read more about your ideas on Lewis and Hutch. Was this on one of your recent Hutch threads? Can you point me towards it?

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Morgana LeFay]

Are there other witnesses going themselves to the police after 3 days?.

BTW...I don't say that Hutchinson was the killer. But I sure do NOT buy his astrakhan man and don't think he was an attention seeker (too much risk, what if they charged him).

[Morgana LeFay]

If he was an attention seeker, why did he waited 3 days?

Couldn't he have been OUTSIDE the place where the inquest was being done and seen Sarah Lewis enter the building...and assume the worst? Too little time between the inquest and his going to the police....

[Fleetwood Mac]

Are there other witnesses going themselves to the police after 3 days?.

BTW...I don't say that Hutchinson was the killer. But I sure do NOT buy his astrakhan man and don't think he was an attention seeker (too much risk, what if they charged him).

I'm not convinced that going to the polis after the event is suspicious. Perhaps he was busy; perhaps he was deciding what to do as he may have realised it could have raised a few eyebrows.

Nor do I necessarily write off A Man as a fantasy, nor the idea that H couldn't have remembered such detail.

The problematic part of the story for me is that he hung around for 3/4 of an hour. I find it hard to accept that he was a concerned citizen prepared to watch over her due to a 'suspicious' man entering her home, only to walk away when said suspicious man is clearly doing far more than a 5 minute love-in. The idea that H was all set to relieve A Man of his valuables isn't a bad solution to this scenario.

The other part I'm struggling with a touch is Mary asking H for money: is this how it worked in those days? H, un unemployed man, needing every penny he could get his hands on, is seen as good for a sub by Mary?

All things considered, I feel the likely scenario is that H was in it for a few quid.

As a wild card, who remembers Sports Personality of the Year when a dead man with little claim to a sporting gift or a personality won most votes? A few people got together and for a laugh urged people to vote for that man and they did in droves. Perhaps it's a peculiarily English trait to want to make a mockery of the established wisdom and much loved institutions. Perhaps Hutch and his mates were sat in the pub, bored senseless, and for a laugh just went to the polis with a likely story so they could read about their comedic capacity in the papers. Long shot I know (before anyone comes in with: "utter nonsense, you should be shot!")

[richardnunweek]

Hi ,
As a staunch Hutch was ''innocent'' person , I naturally find all of these threads tedious, I am as confident as can be, that Topping was GH, and because of this, most certainly not a killer..
The lying eyes of George, and now Why did he lie?, suggest his whole story was a fabrication, and he placed himself into police hands ''just or jolly'', or for five minutes of fame.
This I cannot buy.
Instead of being so negative , we should do a turn about, and actually believe what he said, and ask what this would imply.
The police were not fools [ even then] and what seems unusual to us, would apply to them.
What we do not have in his statement is all the questions he would have been asked, such as the clothing Mary was wearing at 2am[ 9th]
How he could be sure of colouring.
Was the man overcoat undone?
What he knew about kelly's background?
There is no way that they would have accepted such a tale, from pure frustration alone.
As for MJK asking for money on a regular basis , we have reports from a Dorset street lodging house, of her always being on the ''cadge'' infact one man claimed that she asked for money towards her rent, that was drunk away.
I would say it is a certainty that Hutchinson saw Kelly as stated, and from his initial identification of her, from clothing found in her room. and from tuesday mornings morgue identification, they had no doubt of his sighting, and from interrogation no doubts about his honesty.
So the only question is was Hutchinsons' man her killer,[ many doubts] or was their someone else about to appear on the scene?
Regards Richard.

[lynn cates]

A-Man

Hello Morgana.

"I sure do NOT buy his astrakhan man"

What do you find most problematic about his story?

Cheers.
LC

[lynn cates]

nosy

Hello Mac.

"The problematic part of the story for me is that he hung around for 3/4 of an hour. I find it hard to accept that he was a concerned citizen prepared to watch over her due to a 'suspicious' man entering her home, only to walk away when said suspicious man is clearly doing far more than a 5 minute love-in."

Used to be a problem for me. But he could be just a nosy fellow.

"The other part I'm struggling with a touch is Mary asking H for money: is this how it worked in those days? H, un unemployed man, needing every penny he could get his hands on, is seen as good for a sub by Mary?"

But this happens even today. Society is still populated with chronic givers and takers.

Cheers.
LC